Author Jeannette Bajalia is President and Founder of Woman’s Worth, LLC, specializing in estate and financial planning for individuals age 50 plus.

In reading for pleasure or reading to learn, one characteristic that pulls me inside of a book is the use of real life experiences and real lives to illustrate a story. In Planning a PURPOSEFUL LIFE: Secrets of Longevity, Jeannette Bajalia does an incredible job of intertwining real life experiences of her own, and the lives of the centenarians and super-centenarians interviewed into a wonderfully written guide to reveal the secrets of longevity.

Service to Others

Planning a Purposeful Life is rooted in a foundation of service to others. A true sense of caring for family – immediate and extended – those whom have entrusted Bajalia to provide professional advice in planning not only for themselves but for their family through her work in financial services.

This sense of care is apparent in the introduction of the book where Bajalia provides a vivid and detailed description into her family history. Telling the story of her parent’s immigration from the West bank of Palestine that provides the foundation of her work ethic and dedication to service/ caregiving.

“So, why share all this personal information with you? These childhood experiences were life defining for me. They marked the beginning of my journey serving others.”

Planning for Longevity

Physical and Fiscal Fitness, an important theme in Planning a Purposeful Life and a central them that Savvy readers know and understand. In Chapter III, Bajalia makes the connection “Planning For Longevity – Making Your Money Last as Long as You Do” It starts with a plan and Bajalia considers four areas that need to be considered and pulled together to lay a foundation for longevity.

Legal planning

Financial planning

Healthcare planning

Lifestyle planning

Legacy

The opening quote from Chapter IV …

“What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.” ~ Albert Pine

To me, one of the more intriguing discussions in the book is what we leave behind and legacy planning. Legacy planning refers to the simple act of having your legal documents organized and stating clearly what you wish to leave behind. But as Bajalia states, “Your legacy is much greater than the money or property you leave behind to your loved ones, or what you bequeath to your favorite charity. It has to do with how you have lived your life, and the story you leave behind for your loved ones, whether they are family members, friends or simply people who have watched you live your life to its fullest.”

Four ways to leave a legacy:

Provide a family history

Give to charity

Write a legacy letter

Prepare an ethical will

With the help of her life experiences, one that has allowed Bajalia access to the greatest generation via interviews and sharing of stories, Planning a Purposeful Life continues on with important themes such as simplifying your life and letting go of things.

From Chapter IX, “Our human inclination is to hold onto things that, for whatever reason, have become attachments in our lives. We tend to cling to things as if they were attached to us like our arms and legs. But do we really want our loved ones discarding our possessions after we clip the surly bonds of earth and depart this life?”

Where Chapter IX explains how to simplify your life and letting go of things the final chapter provides the reader with a guide, recapping the pearls of wisdom gathered from Bajalia’s research, on how to live to be 100 and beyond. A few of my favorite pearls; be a continuous learner, treat your mind and body kindly, do not focus on dying – just living and staying connected to those you love.

Final Thoughts

In closing, I really enjoyed this book for the literary value as well as the technical advice for planning a purposeful life with an expectation that you will live a long life. Planning a PURPOSEFUL LIFE: Secrets of Longevity is available at Amazon in Kindle and hardcover formats.

Brian Tramuel is a regular contributor and helms the 'A Richer Understanding' series. He lives with his wife Michelle, their children Geneva and Brian, and their Cocker Spaniel Maestro in Charlotte, NC. They, along with his two older children from a previous marriage, Davina and Aaron, provide a constant source of inspiration. Aaron lives, works and plays in Charlotte and Davina lives, works and plays in Roanoke, VA.